You’ve probably seen it. Your surname printed on a decorative plaque, a keychain, maybe a set of coasters — complete with a shield, a Latin motto, and something that looks vaguely medieval. It feels meaningful. Official, even. The thing is, it almost certainly has nothing to do with your actual family.
Those products are sold by surname, not bloodline. And according to Jean Graugnard, that distinction matters more than most people realise. It’s one of the most common misconceptions he encounters in his research work — and clearing it up is usually the first step.
A Family Crest and a Coat of Arms Are Not the Same Thing
These two terms get used interchangeably, but in heraldic terms they’re quite different. A coat of arms is the full heraldic achievement: shield, helmet, mantling, supporters, motto — the whole composition. A family crest is just one piece of that, specifically the symbol or figure that sits on top of the helmet, above the shield.
More importantly, coats of arms were historically granted to specific individuals — not to surnames. Two people sharing the same surname could have entirely different heraldic histories, or none at all. The fact that your surname appears somewhere in heraldic records does not give you any claim to that imagery. It never did.
Who Actually Has a Coat of Arms?
In England and Wales, coats of arms are granted by the College of Arms. In Scotland, that authority sits with the Lord Lyon. Both institutions granted arms to specific individuals, and those rights pass down through legitimate lines of descent — meaning heraldic entitlement is genealogical, not nominal.
The United States has no official heraldic authority whatsoever, which means anyone can design or claim a coat of arms — but it carries no formal standing. Families with Irish, Scottish, English, or French ancestry and documented ties to nobility or landed gentry are most likely to have verifiable heraldic histories. That said, many families created crests informally over generations. Those may carry real cultural and personal significance, even without official recognition behind them.
What Real Heraldic Research Involves
Verifying a heraldic connection requires tracing your specific line of descent all the way back to the original grantee. Sharing a surname with that person isn’t enough. The research draws on the same tools as any serious genealogical work: vital records, census data, church archives, land documents, and sometimes DNA analysis to confirm biological relationships.
Jean Graugnard treats heraldic research as a natural extension of family tree research — because that’s exactly what it is. You cannot establish a heraldic connection without first establishing the genealogical one. For clients looking to create a family crest rather than verify an existing one, he researches the historical context of the surname, geographical roots, and ancestral occupations to make sure the symbolism reflects something real, not something generic pulled off a shelf.
So — Does Your Family Actually Have One?
Possibly. But you won’t know without proper research. Many families have heraldic histories they’ve simply never looked into, particularly those with European ancestry going back several generations. Jean Graugnard’s heraldic research helps clients get a definitive answer — verifying existing crests, tracing their origins, and unpacking the meaning behind the symbols used.
Whether the conclusion is yes, no, or “the crest your family has been displaying for decades belongs to someone else entirely” — the research almost always uncovers something worth knowing.
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